Skeleton wheels



Dec. 20, 1960 R. 1.. WOODWARD SKELETON WHEELS Filed Aug. 9, 1957 Fig. 2

Fig. I

JNVENTOR.

Mme/LT L. WOODWA/LD BY United States Patent I P SKELETON WHEELS Robert L. Woodward, Rte. 1, Freeland, Mich. Filed Aug. 9, 1957, Ser. N0. 677,243

4 Claims. (Cl. 101-420) The invention relates to an improvement in printing presses and more particularly concerns an improvement in the skeleton wheels of off-set printing presses.

One of the defects of off-set printing presses resides in the tendency of the skeleton wheels to cause streaking or lining of the freshly printed side of the sheet as the skeleton wheels forward the printed sheets to the takeaway belt. This streaking or lining of the printed sheet frequently results in a financial loss to the printer in that a price ad ustment must be made for the imperfect work. In the past it has been difficult if not impossible to set up the press in such a manner that the printer can be sure that the skeleton wheels will not smear a certain percentage of his printed subject matter, and in some cases the imperfect work may become a total loss in the case of fastidious customers.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a means whereby the skeleton wheels may be made to act without causing smearing or lining of the wet ink as they throw the freshly printed sheet to the conveying system.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple means whereby the skeleton wheels can be pre-adjusted so that their forwarding surfaces do not come in contact with the paper in those areas where the fresh ink is present.

A further object of the invention provides a means whereby segments of the periphery of the wheel may be readily and easily retracted during the period when the press is being set whereby to allow the contact surface of the wheels to be spaced so that they will not override the inked surface of the printed sheet.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means whereby the periphery of the skeleton wheel may be rendered discontinuous as desired While the press is being set up and prepared for a run.

Another object of the invention is to provide a segmented wheel extension which may be moved inward and outward as desired and latched in either position.

Other further objects of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description which taken in connection with the annexed drawings sets forth in detail certain means of carrying out the invention, such disclosed means illustrating however but one of various ways in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing my improved skeleton wheel.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevational view taken along lines 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing further details of the improved skeleton wheel.

Fig. 3 is a view showing a preferred embodiment of the segmented sections making up the contact face of the wheel.

Referring to Fig. 1 a conventional skeleton wheel has been modified as by being cut away in a lathe to give a wheel of reduced diameter as seen more clearly in Fig. 2 at 2. Pie shaped segment plates 3 extend beyond the 2.965.026 Patented Dec. 20, 1960 edge of the body of the wheel 1 and serve to define the outer diameter of the skeleton wheel. In Fig. 2 the body member 1 of the wheel is shown carrying a retaining plate 4 secured to body member 1 by means of bolts 5. Plate member 4 is recessed along its outer edge at 6 to accommodate the segmented members 3 which are adapted to slide back and forth in the recess. Plate member 4 is slotted at 7 to accommodate pin 8 carried by segments 3 which serves to locate the segments and act as a stop member when segment 3 is moved in and out. Body member 1 carries pin 9 which is adapted to move in slot 10 of segment members 3 and further serves as a stop and a locating element for the segment plates 3. Ball latch member 11 comprising screw 12, Spring 13, and ball 14 are suitably located in plate 4 and adapted to engage detents 15 and 16 in segment plate 3 and thus hod the segment plate 3 in a retracted or extended position as desired. As shown pin 8 extends above the surface of plate 4 and allows finger manipulation for the relocation of segment plate 3 as desired.

In the preferred embodiment of the segment plate shown in Fig. 3 the edges of segment plate 3 have been scalloped or cut out at 19 whereby to further minimize the lining or smearing that may occur as the wheel contacts the surface of the freshly printed page.

As is conventional the skeleton wheel is bored at 16 to accommodate a shaft support (not shown). Clamp member 17 provided with set screw 18 serves as a means of securing skeleton wheel 1 to the shaft at the desired location.

It will be apparent that other latch means than a ball latch may be employed. For example a spring pressed pin adjusted to engage properly spaced holes in plate member 3 will serve equally well.

In the operation of the improved skeleton wheel it will be apparent that several of these wheels will be positioned on the supporting shaft in the customary manner. Thereafter the printer, in setting up the press, will decide wherein various segments of the skeleton wheel should be retracted in order to cause the periphery of the wheel to remain out of contact with freshly printed matter. It will only be necessary for him to grasp pin 8 and actuate the desired segment or segments in order to provide the desired contact of the periphery of the skeleton wheel with the base sheet outside of the printed area. In the foregoing manner it will be readily possible for the printer to set up his press in such a manner that all contact with the freshly inked surface of the paper will be readily avoided. Thus an extremely simple solution to a very troublesome problem has been provided.

I claim:

1. In a skeleton wheel for an off-set printing press the combination which includes a substantially flat arcuately shaped disk, having a shaft engaging portion centrally disposed therein, segmented portions supported by the arcuately shaped disk and extending beyond the peripheral edge of the disk, adapted to form a substantially continuous peripheral extension of the disk, and latch means carried by the disc and segment portions adapted to be actuated so as to allow the segmented portions to slide in and out in a plane parallel to the flat plane of the disc and to lock the segmented portion at both positions.

2. In a skeleton wheel for an off-set printing press the combination which includes a substantially fiat arcuately shaped disc having a shaft engaging portion centrally disposed therein, pie-shaped segments disposed in side by side relation supported by the disc and extending beyond the peripheral edge of the disc adapted to form a substantially continuous extension of the peripheral diameter of the disc, and latch means adapted to allow the segments to move in a sliding relation and to lock in 3 p a prearranged relation so that the segments can be made to provide a peripheral diameter for the wheel of spaced discontinuity.

3. In a skeleton wheel for an off-set printing press the combination which includes a substantially flat arcuately shaped disc having a shaft engaging portion centrally disposed therein, pie shaped segments supported by the disc extending in side by side relation beyond the peripheral edge of the disc, adapted to form a substantially continuous peripheral extension of the flat disc, and a spring actuated ball latch carried by the disc and arranged to engage detents in the segmented portions whereby to allow the positioning of the segments a desired distance from the edge of the disc.

4. In a skeleton wheel for an off-set printing press the combination which includes a substantially flat arcuate disc portion havinga shaft engaging portion centrally disposed therein, a plate member secured to the disc and spaced inwardly and circumferentially from the edge of the disc, a spring pressed ball latch carried by the spaced plate member, pie shaped segmented plate members adapted to engage and slide in a recess under the edge of the circumferentially spaced plate member, said segmented plate members being provided with spaced detents adapted to engage the ball latch as the segmented plates are moved back and forth and stop members carried by the disc and segmented plate, said stop member carried by the said segmented plate member being also adapted to act as an actuating lever.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 257,575 Hawkins May 9, 1882 580,470 Schwarzschild Apr. 13, 1897 1,367,066 McDonough Feb. 1, 1921 1,675,000 Spence June 28, 1928 2,179,269 Ogden Nov. 7, 1939 20 2,730,590 Grassi Jan. 17, 1956 

